MEMPHIS, Tenn — Two Memphis area high school football players received the state's top honor on Tuesday. Radarious Jackson of Sheffield High School and Kelvin Perkins of Southwind High School were both named Mr. Football award winners in their respective classifications.
The Mr. Football award is given to the top high school football player in each of the nine classifications of the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association (TSSAA). The award is based on athletic performance as well as academic excellence and character.
Jackson is the Division I, Class 3A award winner. The junior from Sheffield High had 30 receptions for 696 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also rushed for 782 yards and nine touchdowns and threw for seven more scores, according to Maxpreps.
Playing both ways, Jackson also accounted for 63 tackles on the defensive side of the ball and had eight interceptions - two he returned for touchdowns. All together, he accounted for 1978 all-purpose yards and 25 touchdowns.
Sheffield (8-3, 7-0) went undefeated in district play and made it to the playoffs for the second straight year before being beaten by Ripley High School, 12-8.
Perkins is the Division I, 5A winner. The sophomore played his first year as the full-time starter for the Southwind Jaguars (13-1, 5-0) after starting a few games to end his freshman year. In 2023, he threw for 2860 yards and 46 touchdowns with just two interceptions. The passing yards led all of 5A and was sixth best in Tennessee, while the touchdowns led the entire state.
Perkins led the Jaguars to an undefeated regular season and the school's first ever trips to the quarterfinals and semifinals of the TSSAA playoffs. They lost to Page High School, 10-7 in the semifinals.
